By John Dike, Osogbo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed the judgment of the Court of Appeal affirming the nomination of its governorship candidate for the Osun State election but has announced its decision to support the re-election bid of Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP said the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja upheld the nomination of Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola as the party’s governorship candidate for the August 15, 2026 election.
According to the party, the appellate court held that the Kabiru Turaki-led PDP validly conducted its governorship primary, which was monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and directed the electoral body to immediately include the party’s logo on the ballot.
The PDP said the court ruled that while the uploading of candidates through INEC’s nomination portal is an administrative process, it could not override the statutory requirement that the party had already fulfilled by forwarding the name of its candidate to the commission.
The party, however, accused INEC of deliberately frustrating its participation in the election by refusing to recognise its leadership and withholding access codes required for candidate uploads.
It described the judgment as a vindication of its position but argued that the late resolution of the dispute had effectively denied its candidate the opportunity to campaign before the election.
“Though justice has finally been done, in this case the grant of justice is akin to a denial as there is no opportunity for our candidate to undertake campaigns in preparation for the elections,” the statement read.
The PDP further accused INEC of acting in a partisan manner and alleged that the commission had worked to weaken opposition parties in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Despite the favourable judgment, the party said its Interim National Working Committee, after consultations with stakeholders, resolved to support Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party in Saturday’s governorship election.
The party noted that Adeleke, a former PDP member, left the party because of what it described as a leadership crisis allegedly fuelled by external interference.
It therefore directed its members and supporters across Osun State to vote for Adeleke, urging them to participate peacefully in the election and ensure that their votes count.
The PDP also called on Nigerians to resist any attempt to undermine the democratic process, insisting that election outcomes must reflect the freely expressed will of the electorate.
As of the time of filing this report, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not publicly responded to the PDP’s allegations regarding the court judgment or claims of bias.
